Page 6 of Not Just Gal Pals

“Yeah, food sounds good,” I replied, attempting casual but sounding more like my brother in his surly teenage years. I inwardly cringed but didn’t have time to dwell on it because Dan, Builders Arms’ owner, appeared in front of us.

“Doctor Mitchell. Jenny. What can I get you?” Dan smiled down at us. His daughter had been in our grade at school, so he knew us both well. Despite that, he insisted on addressing me as Doctor Mitchell even though I’d told him a million times to call me Blake.

“I’ll get the burger and an IPA, thanks.” Jenny smiled at him.

“And the steak with a glass of pinot noir for me. Thanks.” I reluctantly handed the menu to Dan, not ready to relinquish my safety blanket.

Once he’d gone, Jenny got down to business. She leaned across the table, her hair falling forward over her shoulders, staring directly at me. An electric current shot down my back. “So, what’s the plan for the bachelorette so far?”

“Well, um,” I said and swallowed again, “so I hired out Old Cedar Tea Parlor, and I thought we could have afternoon tea there and then come here for dinner.” I trailed off, but Jenny continued to stare at me, clearly expecting further detail. I cleared my throat. “So, yeah, that’s about as far as I’ve got. I’ve been trying to think of activities to do. It’s just...the whole thing doesn’t feel very special, you know?”

“I see.” Jenny bit her lip, a gesture that would have been absolutely adorable if she hadn’t also been frowning and looking generally concerned. “How many people are coming? Amanda, me, you, Jacinta, Heather…”

“And Maya and Evie,” I finished. Maya and Evie had both been in our grade at school, and Maya now worked with Amanda as the art and drama teacher at Sapphire Springs High.

“Hmmm.” Jenny continued biting her lip, and I couldn’t stop staring at it. Soft, full, pink…

Bang! I jumped in my seat as Jenny’s hand smashed down on the table, crashing me out of my reverie.

“I’ve got it!” she exclaimed as a few older men at the table nearby turned to look at us. “Sorry!” Jenny smiled. “I can get a bit too excited when it comes to party planning. Okay, so as I’m sure you know, Amanda is a huge Jane Austen fan…” Unfortunately, I did know, having been subjected to at least three Jane Austen movie nights since returning and being dragged to the high school’s production of Emma in May. “And didn’t the school put on Emma a few months ago? I’m sure Amanda mentioned it.”

“Yes…” I didn’t see where this was going.

Jenny clapped her hands. “Great! Do you have Maya’s number, by any chance?”

I did. I read it out to Jenny, who typed it into her phone and pressed the call button.

“Maya, hi, it’s Jenny. Look, Blake and I are just putting the finishing touches on Amanda’s bachelorette party. Do you still have the Emma outfits? Are they those flowy ones that aren’t too fitted? Okay, great. That should work, then. Could we borrow them for Saturday? Seven, if you have them.” Each time Jenny said “we,” it lit a warm spark inside me, even though I knew Jenny was only doing this for Amanda, not me.

Dan carefully placed our drinks on the table while Jenny listened to Maya. I gave him an appreciative smile and reached for my wine. Maybe wine would help me relax.

“Uh-huh, six, okay. Well, I’m sure we can work out something. Let me talk to Blake, and we’ll get back to you. Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. See you Saturday!”

Jenny hung up the phone and took a sip of her beer. “So, what I’m thinking is a Jane Austen tea party. We can dress up, take photos, play some Jane Austen-related games. For dinner, we could see if Dan has the event room free and try to give it a little Regency style. Then, knowing Amanda, she’ll want to head to Frankie’s for a drink and dancing, then . . . done!” Jenny dusted her hands, smiling. “So, what do you think?”

A weight lifted off my chest. “That sounds great!” Powered by a surge of relief, I managed to string some more words together while maintaining eye contact with Jenny. “She’ll love that. Party planning is not my strength. Thank you.”

“Well, I might be good at party planning, but you save lives on a regular basis, so I think you win,” Jenny responded. I looked at her closely. Despite her smile, there was an edge to her voice.

“This isn’t a competition, you know.” I bit down hard as soon as the words left my mouth, regretting them immediately. I’d intended my tone to be teasing, but it came out gruff and abrupt, verging on rude.

Jenny stared at me, her smile vanished, and her voice went flat. “Oh, there is one problem. There are seven of us, but Maya only has six Regency dresses available. So, we’ll have to see if we can find another one somewhere.”

“I can sort something out for me,” I said. I was not a fan of dresses. I hadn’t worn one since prom, so I was quite happy to have an excuse to avoid them.

“Ok, thanks, if you’re sure.” Jenny eyed me with trepidation, clearly not trusting me to get the dress code right.

“Don’t worry. Amanda has forced me to watch enough period movies. I know what to wear.” I cringed again. The words came out all wrong, sounding terse and offhand. Goddamnit. Why couldn’t I just act normal when Jenny was around? It was like high school 2.0 all over again.

CHAPTER THREE

JENNY

Fall was, in my opinion, the best time to visit Sapphire Springs. Walking up Main Street, everywhere I looked the trees flamed red. Decorative gourds were on display in shop front windows, and enormous carving pumpkins were piled up on rustic carts outside the Sapphire Springs General Store. The ivy clinging to the two-story red brick buildings that lined the lower part of Main Street was a resplendent mix of red, yellow, orange, and green. American flags gently swayed in the breeze. The sky was blue, and the air was crisp. It was the perfect weather for pumpkin spice lattes, warm cinnamon donuts, s’mores, and hot toddies. I let out a happy sigh. I was surprised by how much I’d missed this.

Dan, out walking his dog before starting work at the pub, called out across the street and waved at me. I waved back. As a teenager, I’d found the lack of anonymity small-town living offered claustrophobic, but now it was kind of refreshing. So very different from LA.

I peered in the window of Blake’s clinic as I passed, spotting her father behind the reception desk. I kept walking. Since Wednesday night, I’d texted Blake a few updates so she knew I had things under control—not because I kept thinking about her or anything like that. Definitely not. But I didn’t want to be caught snooping in her window.